


Lost and Found

by maryaun



Category: Rookie Blue
Genre: Bartender!Gail, F/F, Student!Holly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-28 11:38:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18755710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maryaun/pseuds/maryaun
Summary: Holly gets drunk, falls in love, then loses her wallet.





	Lost and Found

“Wow. Could you be any more obvious?”

Holly side-eyed her roommate Rachel. “What? I’m just sitting here.”

“Uh huh. You’ve been _sitting there_ ogling the bartender all night. Stare any harder and you’ll set the poor girl on fire.”

Holly turned her attention back to the blonde behind the bar. If anyone was on fire it was Holly. From the moment she’d stepped into the club and briefly locked eyes with the gorgeous woman, Holly knew she was in a world of trouble. She also knew she had to get closer to her and that sitting up at the bar would give her the perfect vantage point to observe. And observe Holly did.

Over the past two hours she had learned a number of things about the woman pouring their drinks, including her name, which was Gail. The surly man who Holly assumed was the clubs manager had said it when he’d pulled Gail aside and scolded her for calling a customer a douche-tit. What he’d missed was Gail calling two other customers the exact same thing two minutes earlier. Obviously by the second “douche-tit” Holly was in love.

Being in love with Gail felt fucking awesome. What wasn’t awesome was the fact that it was getting late and Holly had yet to see Gail smile. Yes, Gail’s lips may have curled up to form the action on a number of occasions but it was forced, there was no light there, and the sad sight tugged at Holly’s heartstrings. If she knew how to tell a joke that wasn’t a science pun, or talk to women without rambling, she’d be inclined to try and make Gail smile for real.

Holly sat up a little straighter as Gail approached them for the fifth time that night.

“Can I get you anything else?” the blue-eyed, red lipped angel asked as she collected Holly’s empty beer bottle.

Holly opened her mouth, willing the right words to come to her, but just like she’d been doing all night, froze up like a douche-tit.

Holly was perplexed as to why this kept happening to her, especially when too many words were usually her problem. Luckily Rachel was there to end yet another awkward encounter. “Thanks, but I think we’re good.”

Gail nodded before wiping down the countertop in front of them.

“See? She’s been cleaning up your drool all night,” Rachel pointed out as soon as Gail was out of earshot.

Holly chuckled and nudged Rachel away. “Don’t be gross.”

“Whatever, babe. You’ve got it bad.”

Holly dropped her chin onto her hand and sighed. “I haven’t got it _bad_ , I’m just…” _One step away from a new career as a stalker?_

Gail chose that exact moment to reach for a bottle of liquor on a high shelf, her black halter top riding up to expose even more pale skin and soft curves. The sight almost caused Holly’s brain to short-circuit, her breath catching in her throat as she took in every inch of exposed skin. Holly was sure she’d never laid eyes on such magnificent hips before, and if they were the last thing she saw before she died she would die a very happy woman. Well, happy and horny. And a bit of a creep. But it wasn’t to be Holly’s fate, as all important oxygen filled her lungs again.

She watched with interest as Gail jumped off the crate and handed an expensive bottle of whiskey to a nearby co-worker before moving on to her next task of refilling the ice buckets.

“How do I politely ask her to slam me against a wall and make out with me?” Holly’s eyes widened when she realised what had come out of her mouth and just how loud she’d said it. Holly closed her eyes, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her. She could feel people staring, their secondhand embarrassment was palpable.

“You’re lucky she didn’t hear you,” Rachel pointed out much more quietly.

Holly opened her eyes and looked over at Gail to check if that was, in fact, true. Hearing the loud, sharp crunching sound of the ice was reassuring but Holly took her behaviour as a sign that she should leave before making an even bigger fool of herself. She also needed to get some sleep if she had any hope of surviving her 10 am genetics lecture tomorrow morning. “You should probably take me home now.”

Rachel was quick to agree, “Yeah, we don’t want you getting any other ideas, like-”

“Like climbing over the bar and bending her over the sink?”

Rachel laughed and tugged on Holly’s arm, “Exactly. C'mon, let’s get you home before you give her a reason to empty those ice buckets over your head.”

“At least that would cool me down,” Holly mumbled to herself as they both stood, one much straighter and steadily than the other.

They gathered their coats and zigzagged their way through the crowd of students towards the exit. As Holly pushed open the door, she took one last opportunity to look at Gail. To her delight, their eyes connected again, only this time Gail smiled. And it wasn’t just any smile, oh no, this one reached all the way to the laugh lines around Gail’s eyes, which were a surprise in themselves. The polarising sight disappeared as quickly as it came but it was enough to melt Holly’s insides, and she happily relived the moment over and over on their cab ride home.

~//~

Holly woke with a start. Her 8am alarm blared in her ears until she could be bothered to turn it off. She’d set it for an hour later than usual the night before knowing thoughts of a certain blonde bartender would keep her awake, and she wasn’t wrong. Sleep had eventually came, but only after she had, having given in to the aching throb between her thighs.

Sitting up, Holly stretched her limbs, moaning slightly as her joints cracked. A dull thud made itself known at her temples as she yawned, but it was nothing a couple of slices of toast and a cup of coffee wouldn’t fix.

After a quick shower, Holly pulled on her well-worn pair of Levi’s, her favourite grey sweater, and her Blue Jays cap, then made her way into the kitchen. Lisa, her other roommate, was sitting on the counter next to the coffee machine wearing the bare minimum.

“Morning gorgeous,” Lisa greeted her with a wink.

“Morning.” Holly smiled, not minding Lisa’s harmless flirtation.

“Here. Looks like you might need this more than me,” Lisa offered Holly her mug when Holly couldn’t find a clean one.

“Ooh, my hero!” Holly took the mug and brought it up to her mouth and inhaled deeply before taking a sip. “Mmm. Fuck, that’s good.”

“Funny, that’s exactly what my date said to me in bed last night. Toast?” Lisa asked.

Holly coughed, trying not to choke on the hot liquid travelling down her throat. “Uh, yes, please.”

“Don’t forget, rent is due today,” Lisa said as she popped two pieces of bread into the toaster. “I thought I’d take it to the estate agent on my way over to mom’s. I need to get some washing done.”

“Right. Yep. It’s in my wallet.” Holly put down her coffee and jogged to her room. She slid across the polished floorboards towards her dresser where she kept her wallet and keys but her wallet was no where to be seen. It also wasn’t in the pocket of her coat, or in the pair of slacks she’d worn last night.

Panic setting in, Holly walked back out to the kitchen. Rachel had risen and was eating a bowl of cereal at the kitchen table. Lisa was standing behind her playing with Rachel’s hair.

“Um, guys…”

Both Rachel and Lisa looked up from what they were doing. Rachel spoke first. “Oh shit, I know that face.”

“Did Vanderbeek chew one of your first editions again,” Lisa joked.

Holly rolled her eyes. “For the fiftieth time, my rabbits name is Vader! And no, these days she prefers chewing holes in the soles of my shoes.”

Rachel chuckled and Lisa pointed at Holly’s face, “So what’s with the frown line the size of the Niagra gorge?”

“I’m think I’ve lost my wallet.”

“Are you sure?” Rachel asked. “Did you check-”

“Yes, I’ve checked everywhere. Fuck!” Yep, she was officially freaking out.

Lisa moved around the table and grabbed Holly’s shoulders with both hands. “Hey, hey, calm down, we’ll find it. We just need to retrace your steps.”

“Right. Yes. Ok.” Holly took a deep, calming breathe.

Money, or lack there of in Holly’s case, had always caused her some level of anxiety. She didn’t have a trust fund to rely on like Lisa, or parents to support her like Rachel. If Holly didn’t see her wallet again today, she was epically screwed because she had zero savings to her name. With financial aid only covering so much, the supplemental income she earned from tutoring and working a few hours a week at her aunts used bookstore only had her just to scraping by.

Holly pinched the bridge of her nose. If worse came to worst, she could sell her kidney to make rent. People did that, right? Then she could use the left over money to buy all the first editions she wanted.

“Do you think you could have left it at the club last night?” Rachel asked. “You were buying and I remember it sitting out. Actually, I kept thinking, ‘don’t let Holly forget that’.”

Holly glared at her roommate.

Rachel bit her lip, trying not to laugh. “My bad.”

Holly’s glare transformed into a soft smile. “It’s not your fault. If I hadn’t been so preoccupied with…” As soon as Holly saw Lisa’s curious expression, she opted not to continue that train of thought. “Never mind. I’ll swing by there before class, hopefully someone is around. I noticed an apartment above, so maybe the owner or manager lives there.”

“If you wait, I can drive you.” Lisa offered.

“Don’t be silly. It’s completely out of your way. I’ll just take my part of the rent to the estate agent myself. That is, if some asshole hasn’t stolen all my cash.”

Lisa waved her off. “I really don’t mind. Besides, we don’t need you wigging out again because you were late for class. Give me ten minutes to get dressed and we can go.”

“Yes, you’ll need these things called pants.” Rachel called out as Lisa waltzed down the hallway toward her bedroom with more swagger in her hips knowing she had an audience.

“Yeah, and this other thing called a bra,” Holly added.

Lisa flipped them the bird before disappearing into her room.

Holly could feel Rachel’s eyes on her. She turned around slowly. “What?”

“I wonder if your bartender will be there,” Rachel mused before focusing back on her breakfast, a slight smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

Surely it was too early for Gail to start work, or that was what Holly had tried to convince herself on the drive over there. While she would love to see Gail again, the thought of facing her in front of Lisa made her cringe the more. Because let’s face it, Holly was completely hopeless around women (something she was hoping she’d grow out of soon) and Lisa seemed to enjoy that a little too much.

~//~

It was 9am by the time they arrived at the club; Lisa had taken much longer than ten minutes to find some pants and a bra. She had barely looked up when Holly exited the car, no doubt busy sexting with her latest conquest.

As luck would have it, the club was open, or at least the door was, as the neon sign still read ‘closed’. When Holly stepped over the empty crate that was propping open the door, she was thrust into darkness, minus a few lights over the actual bar. The distinct sound of clanking bottles told her she wasn’t alone and she treaded carefully towards the sound.

“Hello?” Her voice echoed in the empty space.

“We’re not open,” a deep voice boomed from somewhere behind the bar.

Holly leaned over it and watched the manager she’d recognised from last night walk up the cellar steps carrying three empty crates. “I know, I’m sorry, but I’m pretty sure I left my wallet here last night. It’s tan, leather, has a little embossed picture of Marvin the Martian on it?”

He scrutinized her for a moment and then smirked, “I remember you.” _Oh. Perfect._ “One of my bartenders did mention finding a wallet before closing. If you give me a sec, I’ll go check.”

“Great, thank you so much. Would you mind if I used your bathroom while I wait?” Those two cups of coffee she’d inhaled earlier had gone straight through her. Plus, she needed to splash her burning face with water.

“Sure, honey. Just back there.” He pointed towards darkness.

A few minutes later, Holly exited the bathroom feeling refreshed. Stepping back into the flickering blue light of the poorly lit hallway, Holly startled backwards into the wall when a silhouetted figure appeared out of nowhere at the other end of it.

She would recognise those magnificent hips anywhere.

“Holly Stewart.” The sultry way Gail said her name sent a shiver up Holly’s spine. “Make that, Holly Milo Stewart.” Gail held up what Holly could only assume was her wallet and took a few steps closer, but not close enough for Holly to make out the woman’s face in the low light.

“Uh, that’s me,” Holly answered. Gail had obviously looked at her drivers licence.

“Member of Miss Bennett’s Book Club.”

Okay, so Gail had looked at more than just her drivers licence. Holly had been meaning to get rid of that particular membership card for months. “Not anymore,” she pointed out. “They told me not to come back after I called Mr Darcy Fitzboring and for suggesting his sister Georgiana was a raging lesbian.”

“How scandalous!” Gail exclaimed, faux outrage pouring from her tone.

Despite the overshare, Holly mentally celebrated the number of words she’d strung together in front of Gail and the fact that she hadn’t fumbled them. Though, not being able to see Gail’s gorgeous face probably helped matters.

“You’re an Honorary Jedi.”

“And proud of it,” Holly responded, maybe a little too defensively.

“As you should be, Holly Jugs-Kenobi. Interesting Jedi name.”

“My best friend Tristan made it for me to celebrate my breasts.” _Damnit!_ “Wait, that came out wrong, I meant-”

“Boobs are definitely worth celebrating,” Gail mused as she continued to towards Holly, taking painfully slow steps.

“We were 14 and I was a late bloomer,” Holly felt the need to clarify.

“I see. You were one card-punch away from a free build-it-yourself taco.”

“Were?”

“I took it as a reward for finding your wallet.”

Holly couldn’t have cared less in that moment that it had taken her a month to build up to that free taco, as Gail finally stepped into more light. She was even more beautiful than Holly remembered. Gone was the high ponytail. In its place was the kind of loose, wavy hairstyle that Holly could imagine running her fingers through. Like Holly, Gail wore jeans, but they were ribbed at the thigh and had holes at the knees. A white tank top and untied black boots completed her casual, slightly grunge ensemble. But what really struck Holly was Gail’s lips. Her immaculate red lipstick, which she also had been wearing last night, appeared almost black under the blue light of the hallway, a stark contrast to her pale skin.

“And finally, my favorite.” Gail stopped just a few feet away, breaking Holly from her admiration. She waved a card in front of Holly’s face. “Hopeless Lesbian, Member ID: 5318008.”

“Wait, what? That’s not in there!” Holly went to grab the mystery card from Gail’s hand but Gail dodged her attempt. As Holly took another swipe, Gail laughed and made the card disappear into thin air with some fancy trickery.

“Not funny.” Holly tried not to grin.

“I beg to differ.” Gail smiled and Holly couldn’t help but return it.

Gail held out the wallet and Holly eyed her sceptically before reaching for it tentatively. When their fingers touched, Holly could feel the electricity running over her skin. She couldn’t tell if it was because of Gail’s raw magnetism, or if Gail had tugged gently on her wallet, but Holly felt herself sway forwards, her face coming dangerously close to Gail’s. Their close proximity robbed Holly of breath. For a moment she thought she should lean in and kiss Gail but her nerves got the best of her and Gail let go.

“Um, thanks.” Holly shoved her wallet awkwardly into her pocket.

“Don’t you want to check that I didn’t rob you?”

“Uh, no, that’s ok.”

“Suit yourself.” Gail stepped aside, leaving just enough room for Holly to pass.

The next thing Holly knew, her body was being pushed up against the wall as soft lips crashed into her own. The shock burned its way through Holly’s entire body and sent her into action, her hands moving to Gail’s hair as she deepened the kiss, knocking her ball cap off in the process. Having the weight of Gail’s warm body pressed against her, the feeling of Gail’s tongue sliding over her own, was better than she ever dreamed. When Gail hands clutched at her hips, pressing even closer, Holly’s senses exploded and she was sure she heard fireworks going off above them. Air was fast becoming a concern but she vowed she wouldn’t break for breath until Gail did, instead she swallowed every delicious moan that escaped Gail’s lips.

When Gail eventually pulled back, they stared at each other, breathless and in awe. Gail’s lipstick was smudged across her mouth. Holly could only imagine what her own face must have looked like.

“I’m sorry,” Gail whispered against Holly’s lips, “I don’t think there is a polite way to ask to do that.”

“There really isn’t.” Holly chuckled.

Gail lifted her arm and rested it above Holly’s head. “So, Holly Milo Stewart, can I buy you a free breakfast taco?”

Holly adjusted her glasses nervously as she cleared her throat. “I’ve got class.” Gail’s eyes dimmed. Holly hated that she’d taken that light away and was determined to bring it back. “How about you buy me a free dinner taco instead?”

Gail’s eyes brightened, “I think I can handle that.” She bent down to pick up Holly’s ball cap and snuck a quick kiss as she placed it back on Holly’s head. “Can I meet you after your

classes?”

Holly nodded eagerly, “Four… I mean I finish at four. Do you know the Harrison

building on the west side of the campus?”

“That’s where all the sexy nerds hangout, right?” Gail smiled. “I’ll be there.”

Holly started walking backwards towards the exit with a big goofy smile of her own on her face.

“Wait!” Gail quickly grabbed a clean rag from the bar top. “You’ve got a little… well a lot of lipstick on your face. Let me…” She gently wiped the dark red from Holly’s lips before wiping her own face. “Perhaps I should forego the lipstick on our date.”

Holly’s body tingled at the word 'date’ and she blushed as deep as red as Gail’s lipstick at the thought of future kissing.

“I better get back to the books, or Angus will have my ass.”

“Of course. I’ll see you at four,” Holly managed to stutter out as she walked towards the door. She gave Gail a little wave before stepping out into the street.

Lisa was still focused on her phone when Holly hopped back into the car. “So? How did you go?” Lisa asked as Holly buckled her seatbelt.

“Found it,” Holly answered as she looked inside the wallet to find her rent money untouched. However, all of her cards were out of order.

“That’s a relief.” Lisa finally looked up and a huge smirk spread across her face. “Did you reward the bartender for finding it?”

“What?!”

“Red really is your color.” Rachel thumbed her own cheek, prompting Holly to check herself in the rearview mirror. There was a perfect lipstick stain of Gail’s lips at the corner of her mouth. _Dammit Gail!_ As she rubbed it away with her sleeve, she felt something poke her boob. Puzzled, she reached into her bra and pulled out the card Gail had magically disappeared. Written across it in bubble letters was 'Holly Stewart. Founding member of The Gail Peck Fan Club’, as well as a drawing of a stick figure labeled 'Holly’ giving heart eyes to another stick figure labeled 'Gail’.

Holly laughed as she slipped the card into the clear window of her wallet. Maybe she wasn’t such a douche-tit after all. She did kiss the girl in the end, right?


End file.
